By: Paige McFarland; Intern

After a trip to Lawrence Kansas last summer I found myself asking who is Monsanto? I was driving out of the Target parking lot where I saw a STOP sign accompanied with the word ‘Monsanto’ underneath. This honestly just confused me at first. I started thinking to myself- they are just seed dealers, right? I looked into the ‘March Against Monsanto’ movement a little more that summer and familiarized myself with the company itself and what their overall mission statement was. Upon doing my research, I asked family and friends who follow me on Facebook one simple question. I said ‘What is one word that comes to mind when you hear Monsanto?’ I got over 30 different answers- that is what you will find in the word collage above. My initial thought was that I would have ag people giving mainly ag responses. I was extremely excited when I got feedback from people with differing opinions. This wordle above has every response, so you can see that there were some differing opinions. I felt like it needed to be addressed- why are there so many different opinions?

After cruising through numerous Anti-Monsanto websites I found the Monsanto mission statement:

“Monsanto employees are 100 percent focused on agriculture – breeding seeds and developing products that help farmers produce more food, feed and fiber while conserving resources like soil and water. As a technology innovator and global leader, we are committed to: assuring the safety and quality of our products; promoting a culture of integrity through our business conduct; and supporting initiatives and organizations with similar aims.” (www.monsanto.com)

Then I came across the site for ‘March Against Monsanto’ where their mission statement says:

“Calling for further scientific research on the health effects of GMOs. Holding Monsanto executives and Monsanto-supporting politicians accountable through direct communication, grassroots journalism, social media, etc. Continuing to inform the public about Monsanto’s secrets. Taking to the streets to show the world and Monsanto that we won’t take these injustices quietly. We will not stand for cronyism. We will not stand for poison. That’s why we March Against Monsanto.” (www.march-against-monsanto.com)

What is the common ground here? What do these two entity’s have in common?

They both want a safe and abundant food source. As foodies, moms, families or food consumers of any type, we want to know what we are eating. I grew up on a small family farm in Eastern Kansas so you could say that I know the struggles of a being part of a small family operated business. On the contrary, I am also a grocery shopper so I know the struggles of choosing what is best for me to eat at the store.

After listening to Robert Fraley, the 2013 World Food Prize winner and also the Chief Technology Officer for Monsanto, I again, stand assured that our food source is safe and nutritious. According Fraley’s talk, biotechnology has been approved in 37 countries. There has been study after study done to ensure the safety of GMO crops not only by the regulatory agencies in the United States, but also to over 40 other countries due to the amount of grain we export.

There are activists who have their strong beliefs and probably can’t be swayed by the truth. However, there are millions of moms, dad, brothers and sisters who hear the anti-GMO message and truly have questions. There are many farmers who use these products who are ready to share their own stories about how and why they use GMO crops. There are many credible scientists who can speak to the safety of GMOs. Let’s open a discussion and create better understanding.

More than 160 farmers showed up for our K-State Corn Production School last Friday at AGCO in Hesston. Wow! Some of these growers drove over 100 miles to attend the corn school. When the Kansas Corn Commission started working with K-State and our sponsor DuPont Pioneer, I wondered how many people would attend. Fifty? Seventy-five? Even though I know there is a very strong interest in corn production among our growers, I also know there are many other meetings and activities going on in January.

As I looked at the crowd of 160 at Hesston, I had another wow moment. There were a lot of young farmers in the crowd. Another wow moment came when I listened to growers in the crowd engage with the speakers. They had excellent questions and you could tell by the questions and comments that the crowd was filled with innovators. Yet another wow moment came when I listened to the speakers from K-State Extension. I expected them to be very good, but their messages were excellent. They were on-target and they shared information that the audience wanted to hear. Presentations on weed control, ag economics, drought tolerant traits and fertilization were fresh, interesting and well-received. We wrapped up with the final presentations after a delicious barbecue lunch and then the group toured the AGCO facility. The AGCO staff provided another wow moment with their professional, welcoming attitude. The local extension offices wowed us with their organization and their ability to bring in the farmers from their counties.

K-State crops specialist Ignacio Ciampitti suggested to the Kansas Corn Commission that it was time to hold some corn schools. He put together an excellent agenda and used his social media skills and conventional communications techniques to bring in the big crowd. If you’ve ever met Ignacio, and see his energy and focus, you would probably say, wow!

Our next K-State Corn Production School is this Friday, Jan. 16 in Atchison. It looks like we will have a good crowd for this school as well. We’re looking forward to more wow moments!

When looking up the definition of family farm on Google it shows this definition:

“A family farm is a farm owned and operated by a family. Like other family businesses and real estate, ownership often passes to the next generation by inheritance.”

I was raised on a family farm in Princeton, Kansas- about as small of a small town as small towns can get. (Say that three times fast.) My dad farms roughly 3,000 acres, with only one hired hand. During harvest and other busy times of the year he will usually have a family friend come out to help or he’ll enlist the help of his oh-so-loving children. Most people are not aware that 98 percent of the corn farms in the U.S. are family farms.

Farming is just like any other family business–farmers don’t farm strictly because they love it; they do it for YOU the consumer. And they do it to make money, not only to support their families, but also to continue farming in years to come. So how does one remain efficient while still profiting from their business? The answer the McFarland farm found about 10 years ago was genetically engineered crops, commonly known as GMO’s.

So, does that make us friend or foe? Our farm uses genetically engineered crops to maximize yield and promote better plant health. It also allows us to grow our crops more sustainably. We are part of the 95 percent of corn in Kansas that is enhanced by biotechnology.

Most of the corn our farmers grow is field corn that is harvested in the fall as a grain for cattle and to make ethanol. However, many corn farmers plant a little sweet corn to enjoy in the summer. During sweet corn season we would go out into the fields and hand pick the few rows that my dad had planted. We would take it home, shuck it, and usually eat it that night or share it with family friends. Farmers and ranchers feed their families the same products that they feed the consumers- so why would we provide anything that wasn’t safe and nutritious?

We invite many friends and family out to the farm to see what it’s all about. These are some of our favorite little summer helpers!

A few short weeks ago, American Ethanol logged its 6 millionth mile racing on E15 fuel. Nascar started using E15 fuel nearly three years ago as part of a ‘Green Initiative’ to increase horsepower and reduce emissions.

For all of our Nascar fans, we will be at the Nascar Race in Kansas City on Oct. 5, cheering on American Ethanol spokesman Austin Dillon! For more information on the American Ethanol partnership with Nascar read here.

I was in Washington DC last week for the National Corn Growers Corn Congress. I extended my stay to do some sightseeing with my grown son, so I ended up spending 6 days in DC, which is way too long. I’ve been smiling nonstop since I returned home, just happy to be here, somewhere normal! It’s not my first trip to DC, but I did accumulate a lot of random observations.

I spent most of my time with farmers from Kansas and many other states. Words that describe my farmer friends include the following: kind, intelligent, polite, funny, sophisticated, outspoken, focused, professional, friendly, well-rounded, honest, informed. Our farmers sat through long committee meetings, two delegate sessions and visited every member of our Congressional Delegation. All the while, they were also using their smart phones and tablets to keep track of the markets, check email, and kept in contact with their families at home who were running the farm in their absence.

With Senator Roberts

With Congresswoman Jenkins

There were many farewell speeches at Corn Congress this year with NCGA Exec Rick Tolman retiring, as well as Nebraska Corn’s Don Hutchens, Monsanto’s Marsha Stanton and John Deere’s Don Borgman. Our own Jere White was honored at the March Corn Congress session for his retirement. New leaders will rise to take their places, but those are some big shoes to fill.

Speaking of leaders, I was so impressed with the members of the DuPont New Leaders Program offered through NCGA. Farm couples are encouraged to go through the program together. This cultivated two new leaders from Kansas: Tom and Sandy Tibbits of Minneapolis. The program’s final session was held around the Corn Congress event. We were happy to have them along on our Hill Visits and Tom was able to help Kansas Corn by serving as a delegate. Tom is already on the KCGA board and we have plans to use make use of Sandy’s skills as well as an advocate for agriculture.

Speaking of Hill Visits, many of the Congressional offices have offered Russell Stover candies to their visitors for years. With the new Mars candy factory in Topeka, many of our offices have candy bowls with Peanut M&Ms and Snickers bars as well! And Cheezits. Did you know all Cheezits are made in Kansas?

I serve on the Corn Farmers Coalition steering committee, an image program that aims to educate and inform Washington DC decision makers about corn farmers. This year’s campaign has just begun and I sawourfull page ad in The Hill newspaper, as well as ads online and intheMetro trains. This year’s ads have an innovation and technology theme because the focus groups we used when planning this year’s campaign were fascinated by the use of technology on our farms. I remember one focus group participant saying, “It’s kind of neat to think that those farmers are using the same iPad as me.” It is not always easy to overcome the stereotypes about farmers that many people have. On one hand, they are surprised to learn that 98 percent of all corn farms are family farms–many folks think that our farms are owned by big corporations. On the other hand, they think farmers look and work on the farms just like they did 50 years ago. When we talk to these people about GPS guidance and mapping, precision agriculture, they get really excited.

This Metro passenger was extremely interested in our CFC ad!

There is some corn planted in front of USDA. And the US Botanic Gardens is featuring a wheat display called Amber Waves of Grain.

I saw a lot of advertising in DC. I saw an excellent ad in a Metro train placed by Humane Watch. It explained that HSUS, the Humane Society of the United States, only gives 1 percent of its funding to local humane shelters and encourages people to donate to local humane society shelters instead.

On the Metro, we sat next to a woman holding a takeout bag from Chipotle. Over the years, I’ve discouraged my kids from eating at Chipotle for various reasons (primarily because it’s danged expensive!), but also because of how the corporate burrito company bashes farmers who grow the food. Sitting next to my son, who is a devout capitalist, I pointed to the bag in the woman’s lap and told him to read it. This quote is from Chipotle’s “Cultivating Thought” Author Series.

If no one must work, who will make the burritos?

I’m all for love and peace, but just sitting around feeling love for one another might get a little boring after a while. More importantly, Chipotle, if no one works, where will all that free food come from? Who will make the burritos? I’m for free speech and an open exchange of ideas, and I enjoyed reading the bag that held a nine dollar burrito. But I do have the right to disagree. My capitalist son, who in the past has been disturbed by Chipotle’s anti-farmer statements but still ate the corporate burritos, was even more disturbed by that quote.

Norman Borlaug is the new guy in Statuary Hall at the Capitol.

We saw the new statue of Norman Borlaug, the Father of the Green Revolution, during our tour of the Capitol. That an Iowa plant breeder is honored in this way Statuary Hall in the Capitol is significant. His work which created a high-yielding, disease resistant wheat is credited for saving a billion lives. Borlaug was a strong supporter of the promise of biotechnology and urged people to stand up to the anti-science crowd.

A corn capital at the Capitol. (Architect of the Capitol)

I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone has ever counted up the number of Greek columns in DC? It made me remember the Architecture Appreciation class I took at K-State where we learned about Doric, Corinthian and Ionic columns. Speaking of art and architecture, if you are a corn grower, look around in DC–there are many depictions of corn in the Capitol and many other places. In fact, the photo here shows a corn capital in the Capitol. A capital is the top of a column. According to the Architect of the Capitol: Carved by Giuseppe Franzoni from Aquia Creek sandstone, these columns were installed in the Hall of Columns of the U.S. Capitol in 1809. The fluting of a conventional shaft was recalled by bundled corn stalks. On the capital, husks were folded back to reveal the cob and kernels of corn.

I was struck by the friendliness of the people in DC on this trip. I think this was influenced by the unusually cool weather. One cab driver told us that the cooler weather was a disaster for cabbies because everyone wanted to walk instead of taking a cab. He joked that he would have to charge us double. Judging by his meandering route to our destination, I don’t think he was kidding.

I started writing this blog about the 3i Show and it occurred to me that I should probably start out by explaining what exactly the 3i Show is. Often times we expect that everybody knows what we are talking about, but after reading some other blogs myself, I am certain that not all of our readers know what on earth the 3i Show is.

So we’ll start with this- What do the 3 I’s stand for? Industry, Implements and Irrigation. The show hosts 500+ exhibitors who are showcasing their company, products and services. These exhibitors include seed companies, equipment dealers, and even massage chairs. (Because who doesn’t need a massage after walking around the show all day?) The 3i show is hosted in Dodge City, Kansas and creates a week-long economic boom for the Cowboy Capitol of the World.

We spent three days last week showcasing the flex fuel Kansas Corn car (runs on any combination of ethanol and gas up to 85% ethanol) and the Biodiesel truck at the 3i show with the Kansas Soybeans and Kansas Sorghum Commissions. We spent those days talking to farmers and ranchers about renewable fuels, markets and of course, the weather.

This was my third year (yes, THIRD) attending the 3i Show. Every year there has always been something that REALLY sticks out to me. The first year (2012) was how irrigation pivots run, the second year (2013) was the fact that feedlots are HUGE, and this year was something different, of course. Last week I had the opportunity to talk with so many people in the Ag industry and every single one of them was extremely positive. I’ve known for a while that I want to be involved in agriculture for the rest of my life, but this past week just really drilled that home. My internship has allowed me to meet so many genuine people and I’m overwhelmed with the positivity and encouragement of every single one of them.

It reminds me of the quote “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Last week I traveled with Kansas Corn Communications Director Sue Schulte to Washington D.C. for an opportunity to participate in the Corn Communicators Summit. We discussed a variety of issues at the meetings, heard some very informational speakers and had the opportunity to do a few tourist-y things as well.

Wednesday:

We started at the crack of dawn heading to MCI in Kansas City, despite some minor construction, we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare! We boarded the plane, which just happened to be the second time I have ever flown. It was a breeze. Once we arrived in DC, we hopped around town and were able to squeeze in the Botanical Gardens, the Smithsonian Sculpture Garden and Pavillion Café, and we were able to see a few other sites from afar. I was absolutely blown away by the Botanical Gardens. All of the different varieties of flowers and plants that we don’t see every day were really neat.

The Amber Waves of Grain Festival was taking place at the Botanical Garden as an informational tribute to the history of wheat innovation. I have learned about many of the wheat varieties in my Crop Science class so it was pretty awesome to see them all side by side. There was even a tidbit on Dr. Norman Borlaug. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Norman Vietmeyer, who was Norman Borlaug’s assistant and wrote the book Our Daily Bread, the Essential Norman Borlaug.

We ate dinner at the Art and Soul Restaurant. The Chef, Art Smith, is a two time guest on the TV show Top Chef. We had a wonderful server (who was trying to engorge us) and a lovely meal! We dined with Missouri Corn’s Communications Director Becky Frankenbach and Janet Adkison, the Washington DC Bureau Chief for RFD-TV. Janet is also president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. There was a lot of good conversation about agriculture and media.

Thursday:

Day 2 in Washington D.C. started at 9:00 a.m. on a behind-the-scenes tour of the National Museum of American History. We were shown around by Peter Liebhold, Chair and Curator of the Division of Work and Industry at the Smithsonian Museum of American History,who was extremely passionate about his. So many people think museum=boring, once upon a time I was probably one of those people. This tour was far from boring, he knew what we were there for and tailored the tour to things that would interest us. We got to see a room full of items that were full of life, each item had a story whether it was a keyboard, Dekalb sign, coca cola can, or a beanie baby. My favorite was obviously the Dekalb flying corn sign. The winged ear of corn represented the hybrid era. The reason for our visit was to learn about a new American Industry exhibit that will debut next year. Agriculture is one of the industries that will be featured and it was obvious the curator understood the importance of agriculture. The exhibit will include advertising materials from the Corn Farmers Coalition, an effort funded by several corn grower state organizations and NCGA to educate decision-makers in Washington DC about corn farmers and agriculture.

Another highlight of the day was listening to Dr. Cathleen Enright speak about genetically engineered crops. She is a top executive from the Biotechnology Information Organization (BIO). It was enlightening to hear her input on talking to people about such a controversial topic. She pointed out that biotech plant breeding was just a sped up version of traditional plant breeding. Plant breeding is just another term for genetic modification. The vegetables we eat today are all products of plant breeding. For thousands and thousands of years, man has genetically modified plants, which has resulted in the natural vegetables we eat today.

We also met with staff from the US Grains Council, talked ag policy with NCGA’s Washington DC office, and the pro-ethanol group, Fuels America.

Thursday night we went out on the water in the Odyssey dinner boat. It was so incredibly beautiful to see the luminous skyline of downtown Washington D.C. reflecting on the water. Dinner was wonderful, the view was breathtaking and sharing stories with fellow cornies made for an enjoyable night!

Friday:

We began our final day in Washington D.C. at the Washington Post. This was an awesome experience to see the behind the scenes work of a newspaper. They are not only a newspaper, they have an incredibly large social media presence. The Post was recently bought by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and they are aggressively pursuing social and broadcast media to provide their news coverage. They assured us that they will keep printing for years to come, due to the fact the newspaper is a sentimental thing to many people. Your morning wouldn’t start off on the right foot if it wasn’t for reading the newspaper and drinking a nice warm cup of joe. As I am writing, I am drinking out of my complimentary tumbler from the Washington Post!

After our tour we ventured off to have lunch and head back to the airport.

Here are a few other light observations I made about the trip:

Washington D.C. is a MUCH more fast-paced city than Princeton, KS (pop. 276)

Taxi drivers pay no attention to whether you get whiplash or not.

Bicyclists don’t stop for anybody.

I had a great time mingling with corn staffers from several states from Virginia to Texas during our time in D.C. I want to say thank you to the National Corn Growers Staff for allowing me “The Intern” to take part in this meeting trip and welcoming me! I found that both serious meetings and social events are great tools for discussion and learning. I learned a lot and came back with a passion burning higher and brighter about the future of our industry.